Why Colombian Court Says U.S. Troops Must Leave

Colombia's Constitutional Court has struck down an agreement that allows the U.S. military to use Colombian bases.
The military deal has been a crucial component of the joint
U.S.-Colombian fight against FARC and the narco-insurgency that once
plagued the country with violence, kidnapping, and some of the world's
worst political corruption. So why is the Colombian court trying to kick
out the U.S. and what does it mean?

The Court's Legal Rationale The L.A. Times' Daniel Hernandez reports,
"The ruling on Tuesday by the Constitutional Court declared the
agreement signed by outgoing President Alvaro Uribe unconstitutional
because it bypassed approval of the Congress. The agreement was signed
in October and faced intense criticism from Colombia's more left-leaning
neighbors, including Venezuela and Bolivia. [Incoming] President Juan
Manuel Santos, who was inaugurated on Aug. 7, enjoys a wide political
majority in Colombia's Congress and told reporters Wednesday that the
ruling would have no effect on cooperation between the U.S. and its
closest ally in Latin America. It remains unclear whether Santos will
seek ratification of the pact by lawmakers."

U.S. Urges Colombia to RepealAl Jazeera reports,
"The United States has asked Colombia to take 'appropriate steps' to
sustain relations a day after a key bilateral military accord was
declared unconstitutional... On Wednesday Philip Crowley, a US state
department spokesman, said the US looks 'to the Santos government to
take appropriate steps to make sure that we can sustain our bilateral
relationship. There can be, you know, actions taken by the executive or
by the legislative branch to overcome, you know, the questions that have
been raised.'"

Colombia: We Will Obey Ruling Latin American news agency TeleSur reports (rough translation here) that the Colombian government has promised to abide by the high court's ruling.

Colombian Legislature Will Re-Approve NGO official Adam Isacsonis confident. "US-Colombia
defense agreement is suspended until approved by Colombian Congress,
which is 80% pro-Santos/Uribe so ratification likely," he writes. "In
the meantime, US troops will still be at Colombian bases, as in the
past 10 years. Just more steps needed to approve each deployment."

Political Blow, But No Change for Military Adam Isacson adds
on the Center for International Policy blog, "Politically, the court’s
decision is a blow to both governments because it gives the impression –
deserved or no – that the Obama and Uribe administrations sought to do
something that violated Colombia’s Constitution. Operationally, however,
the defense accord’s suspension will not affect the U.S. presence in
Colombia. Not a single U.S. soldier or contractor will have to leave
Colombia or alter what he is doing as a result of the Constitutional
Court’s decision."

Colombia's Neighbors Urge U.S. Expulsion PBS's Jennifer Jo Janisch writes,
"Santos will likely have the congressional support to get the agreement
passed, but he faces an increasingly hostile environment, as many Latin
American governments are wary of perceived U.S. intervention and
militarization in the region. Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez was vocal in his
opposition to the deal, believing it to be part of a buildup of U.S.
military activity in the region. 'Winds of war have begun to blow,'
Chavez said last month at a meeting in Quito."